Of Files and Scarves
by TheGoddessofDeath
Summary: Sometimes being in love and denying it gets you so frustrated it leaves you with your court file scattered across the room. But don't worry, he'll give you that ugly scarf you saw in the store yesterday and everything will be all right. Diego x Mia.


**Of Files and Scarves  
**By: TheGoddessofDeath

**A/N:** So I've been working on this since July of last year. Yeah. So. I finally found the damn time to sit down and be creative and finish it. I've been having such a bad writer's block spell. My first Phoenix Wright fanfiction. Ever. And maybe last. So enjoy the hell out of it. Also, sorry in advance for any timeline screwups kay. I don't really care.

"Looks like it's gonna rain."

An eyebrow raised as mocha eyes made a motion toward the clear blue sky. "It is not," Mia replied, crossing her arms after putting her teacup back on the glass cafe table.

A smirk from the male sitting across from her as he grinned wolfishly. "Made you look."

"Diego! Honestly..." Though Mia felt her angry glance waver and the two were laughing before long.

Diego slugged back the remaining contents of his coffee mug before motioning a waitress for a refill. "I couldn't help it, Mia. You looked so damn serious. Besides, your face is more suited for a smile."

Mia could not help but grow a little warm at that, her smile widening. She needed to change the subject before her whole face turned red. "How many cups have you had now?"

Looking to the steaming black liquid against the white porcelain of his mug, Diego sighed. He hated when people asked that question. "I guess this is my sixth..."

The young female sighed and shook her head. "You know, I'm surprised the caffeine has no effect on you."

"Well, no effect you can see, Kitten."

No response came from the young female's lips, just the clank of the cup hitting the glass tabletop again. "Mr. Armando, how many times do I have to tell you-"

Diego chuckled, putting his mug down as well. "Ah, formalities again, Ms. Fey? Have we not been 'master and apprentice long enough? Come now, calling you 'Kitten' can mean no harm..."

"It sounds too intimate," she stated, giving him the most serious look she could manage.

Diego could not help but laugh and then came the death glare from the female. "Come come now, Mia. You cannot expect to be taken seriously in court with that face. Think of something that makes you really angry and then show me your angriest, most serious face."

Mia closed her eyes, exhaling deeply before giving her mentor a look, and if looks could kill, would have surely killed him twenty times over by now.

The elder male chortled in approval, picking his mug back up. "Brava, Mia. What did you think of?"

"You," she replied before taking a sip from her teacup.

-

It did rain before long and the two found shelter in a nearby clothing store. It was upscale, none too uncommon in this part of town. It was quiet, the elevator music playing from speakers above their heads the only sound in the store. "Welcome," the woman who seemed to run the store solely said softly. "It's really coming down, is it not? And there wasn't a cloud in the sky earlier."

While any other woman would be obsessing over the state of her dress or hair, Mia just shook gently. The air conditioning and the wet state she was in did nothing for her. Diego took notice and put an arm about her, hoping to warm her. "Yes, I was hoping we could stay until the rain lets up a bit," Diego said, with a smile that would melt any woman's heart. Mia knew what the woman's answer would be.

"Of course!" she said, blushing slightly. "Why don't you and your girlfriend take a look around?"

This made Mia scowl. "I am not his girlfriend."

The minute the words left her mouth, she regretted it. A light came up in the saleswoman's eyes, and Diego, being the shameless flirt he was, well... was shamelessly flirting. Soon it became too much. Mia pulled herself from Diego's half-embrace and walked about the store, trying to stay as far away from Diego and the saleswoman as possible.

Some raw emotion she never felt before surfaced in her. Mia could figure it out right away, however. It was jealousy. Raw jealousy that made her want to smack Diego in his face and tell that woman off. But she had no right. Diego was not hers. She did not want to be his. Or at least that's what she kept telling herself.

_He's my mentor..._ she had to keep reminding herself. It was like some silly schoolgirl crush on a teacher. But why did it hurt so much when he looked at that woman like that?

The two were now muttering to each other, and Mia was pretending to examine a rather hideous blouse. It was so ugly she had to turn her head to another rack. She then raised an eyebrow at a tan scarf on the rack. She sighed, glaring at it. _That's the ugliest thing I've ever seen._

The rain was letting up finally, and she was all too ready to leave. Coming back to her mentor's side, the saleswoman gave Mia a large grin. "Find anything you liked?"

All the young female could manage was a "no, thank you" before Diego bowed to the lady, thanked her, and left. His student was not far behind him, looking rather distracted. "You seem rather fond of her."

"Hm?" Diego questioned, a bit distracted himself. "Oh! Oh, why do you care so much, Kitten? Jealous?"

"I told you not to call me that, Mr. Armando."

-

They returned to Grossberg's office in short order, Diego trying to get a word out of Mia but failing to do so. She went into her part of the office and shut her door softly.

"What happened?" Grossberg asked the male standing there looking disappointed. "You didn't offend her again, did you?"

Diego sighed, going to get his coffee mug from his office and filling it to the brim with the lukewarm bitter liquid he loved so much and chugged it back. "I don't think so. Just made her jealous."

After telling his boss the story, he nodded. "I see, Diego. But tell me, when are you going to stop playing games with her?"

"What, you mean come out and tell her I love her?" he asked, finishing off what was left of the coffee he had made that morning.

Grossberg took a seat at his desk, offering Diego one of the couches nearby but he declined. "Yes. You both care for the other. Mia is like my daughter... and I want to see that she deserves the best. Not this constant game playing you do."

Diego was quiet for a minute, eyes shifting back and forth as he seemed to think about something. "You're right, sir. But I cannot tell her."

"And why not?" the elder male asked with a cross look on his face.

"Because I need to show her," was all he said before he went into his office and shut the door.

-

The next morning, Mia came into the office before Diego or Grossberg, happy to have the place to herself for once. She sighed. It was still dark outside. Perfect... no one to disturb her. Maybe she could make some headway in this case before Mr. Wonderful showed up. She held her hand up to her forehead just thinking about him, grimacing. "Get the files..." she muttered to herself, keeping herself on track.

The steady tempo of the clock's second hand was the only sound registering in her ears as the beginnings of dawn began to show itself through the blinds. Her pen was in her hand but the paper was still blank. The files lay open but not a page had been turned. She groaned, running her hand down her face. In her frustration, she threw the pen down so hard on her desk it rolled off and under the nearby heater. Well, she could tell what kind of day this was going to be.

She got down on her hands and knees and went to find the lost article. Cursing under her breath, she didn't even hear the door to the main office open.

Diego was surprised to find the door unlocked. _Who could be here so early..._ he wondered. It could not be Grossberg. The man was rarely _on time_ for anything, let alone early. Which meant...

"Oh Kiiiiitten!" Diego called out.

Mia was still trying to get the damn pen from under the heater but she heard _that_. She lifted her head abruptly and slammed it into the desk. "GOD DAMNIT!" she screeched, and Diego smirked, muttering "I love that woman," before he opened the door to her office. Mia was holding the crown of her head, rubbing it to ease the pain. She sighed, looking to the male in the doorway with narrowed eyes. "You did this!" she screamed, reaching onto the desk and grabbing the item that her hand landed on - which happened to be the file- and flung it at him. The file didn't make it exactly to the male. Instead, the papers contained within went all over the office.

Mia looked like she was going to cry. She sniffled, her brown eyes expressing so much anger and stress and uncertainty as she glared at the male standing rather calmly in the doorway. He didn't even have to ask what he did. He was quiet as he went over to the female sitting on the ground, settling on his knees before sitting right next to her. "Mia, what's the matter?" he asked, gently wiping a tear threatening to fall from her eyes. She wanted to smack his hand away, but his touch was so gentle and so loving and... she liked it.

She didn't know where to begin. "I don't want to believe myself..." she said gently, feeling some sort of calming sense now that he was in the room. He smelt of coffee and some spicy cologne. It was uniquely him. It was... distracting. "Yesterday in the store I got so angry at you for flirting with the saleswoman... and I couldn't sleep last night so I came in to work on the case and... and... all I can think about is you!" she said, sighing rather heavily as a few tears escaped her eyes.

Diego felt his heart soar. He felt as if he was on a cloud, and he took the younger female into his arms. "Mia... don't torture yourself like this... you could have said something to me."

"I just told you I don't want to believe myself," she muttered, all of a sudden feeling very tired as she lay in his arms silently. Diego had always taught her that letting your guard down was an invitation for manipulation. And she did not want it. She did not want him. She did not...

"I won't leave," he said. The words seemed so out of place yet they were what Mia wanted to hear. "I'm not your father. I'm not your mother. Please Kitten... let me take care of you."

The young defense attorney was sure this was the elder male's way of asking her to be his. "Mr.-" She sighed, remembering something her mother had told her once when she was alive. _You're only young once. Don't let a blessing pass you by._ This was her blessing. Diego. Her mentor, her partner... "Diego, must you call me Kitten?"

Well, at least she wasn't using formalities. "Mia, it's how I show my affection. I never meant any offense by it."

Mia rolled her eyes, but she supposed that she would have to get used to it. It was just another thing that made Diego, well... Diego.

After another round of silence and Mia feeling her eyes grow heavy, the male supporting her suddenly moved and she jolted upwards. "Oh, Kitten. I almost forgot. Here," he said, handing her a box no bigger than a book. It was wrapped neatly in a red wrapping paper, and she looked to him with curiosity in her eyes.

"Well, aren't you going to open it?"

Trembling fingers undid the tape holding the paper in place, revealing a box. Lifting the lid off, her face distorted into a look of amusement and disgust.

It was the hideous tan scarf she had seen in the store yesterday.

"I saw you admiring it in the store yesterday... and well, after I told the saleslady of my situation she offered to give it to me for a discount," he said gently in her ear. Mia managed a half-smile, putting the scarf on so her magatama was still in its place on her chest. Reluctantly, she left his arms, standing up and going to admire herself in the mirror she kept in the corner of the room for makeup emergencies. It actually... didn't look half bad. Diego appeared behind her, moving his mouth to her neck and kissing the spot right below her ear. "It suits you."

Mia turned to the taller male, her chocolate brown eyes shining up to him. "I don't want you to leave."

That was the answer he had been waiting for. He leaned down and she leaned up, their mouths almost on the other's when they heard the front door open.

"Grossberg..." they both muttered in unison before laughing.

Said man appeared in the doorway not but a moment later, clearing his throat. "Mr. Armando, Ms. Fey. You have some explaining to do."

Indeed they did. The papers from the case file were still strewn across the floor. Diego smirked, stepping toward the other male and flashing one of his famous smiles. "Well, Mr. Grossberg. It's an exercise I was teaching Ms. Fey. You see, sometimes to straighten out the files you have to throw the papers everywhere and then pick them up one by one."

"You do?" he asked. This man would believe anything.

"Oh yes," Diego said, nodding his head. He didn't even have to try. "Maybe you should try it sometime, sir."

Grossberg raised an eyebrow, but shook his head. "Maybe, Mr. Armando. But right now I want you and Ms. Fey to have that file back in order by noon. This case is not going to solve itself." And with that he left.

"Well, Mr. Attorney," Mia said, approaching Diego from behind. "Shall we?"

Diego, however, had other plans. "He said noon, didn't he?" Mia's eyes followed the other's to the clock that hung on the wall not too far away. "It's only nine thirty."

"But I made a huge mess of the files and it's going to take forever to-"

She was cut off abruptly by the other's lips on her own. When he pulled away, Diego smiled. "Mia, to get anywhere in court you have to make better arguments than that."

"And I can't make an argument without the case file. So, what do you propose we do."

"I propose you persuade me."

Mia sighed, looking to the clock again. Well, they _did_ have til noon.


End file.
